Lawmakers find Spanish good politics

AUSTIN - A few snickers flickered through the crowd as state Sen. David Sibley struggled to round his flat Texas vowels and smooth his choppy version of Spanish.

He stopped reading from his statement and looked up.

"Hay preguntas?" his voice wobbled. "Por favor, no," he said - just in case any of them did have questions.

Laughter broke, and Sibley continued the unprecedented feat of conducting a public meeting at the Texas Capitol in Spanish.

Television screens displayed English translations of the proceedings. A handful of people in the room understood Sibley's words without reading the English. But only a handful.

In a state where about 30 percent of the population is Hispanic, Sibley is one in a small group of Texas lawmakers lumbering into linguistic ground where few non-Latino lawmakers have trod.

As governor, George W. Bush whetted the state's appetite for Spanish by using bits of the language in his speeches and later in his television ads for president. His efforts helped win him at least 39 percent of the Hispanic vote and perhaps as much as 49 percent in his second gubernatorial race.

Gov. Rick Perry took the hint. He began tossing around Spanish with increasing skill after taking office in December. The first words tumbled out awkwardly during his swearing-in speech.

"Estamos unidos hacia un destino comun!" he said. We are one people with one common destiny.

Even without a Spanish accent, he pulled in applause.

Perry has been taking Spanish lessons from a tutor about once a week, said spokeswoman Kathy Walt.

"I could probably go shopping, but I certainly couldn't carry on any business," he said.

His Latino colleagues in the Senate are quick to point out his mistakes, including word choices in his Spanish press releases.

Sibley started learning Spanish by listening to audiotapes in his car and meeting with a tutor from Baylor last summer. He took an intensive language course and has used his new skills along the border and in Mexico. He sent two of his children to Costa Rica to study Spanish.

Sen. Eliot Shapleigh said Sibley told him he'd like to immerse himself in the language in an old mining town called Batopilas in the Sierra Madres.

After watching Sibley conduct his committee meeting in Spanish, Shapleigh voiced his approval.

"I loved it," Shapleigh said. "However, I could see a few weeks in Batopilas were on the horizon."

Shapleigh, whose first language is Spanish, said the language is vital to ensure communication with Mexico on issues such as health, environment and business.

"I would not be senator if I were not bilingual," he said. "Years ago, I saw a strong English-only move. Today I see an English-plus move."

Eight of Texas' 31 state senators, or 26 percent, are Hispanic. In the state House, 28 of 150 members, or about 19 percent, are Hispanic. Overall, about 20 percent of state legislators are Hispanic, compared with about 30 percent of the Texas population.

"It's about time," said Vincent Ramos, executive director of the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens.

"For a long time I don't think there was much value placed on the Latino community. And I think that's changing," Ramos said. "This clearly demonstrates a turn in the value that they see in the Spanish language."

Ramos acknowledged that some Latinos may disapprove of non-Latinos speaking Spanish.

"I think there's a fine line that exists," Ramos said. "But we're all smart enough to tell whether someone is being patronizing or not."